John Romero and Adrian Carmack pause the fundraising attempt for their FPS Kickstarter projectBlackroomto create a demo demonstrating what the game will offer.
Many gamers were excited to see apromising new FPSon the horizon from two members of the team who worked on the originalDoom. However, the developers behind the game have now decided to backpedal, cancellingBlackroom’s Kickstarter funding.
John Romero, the programmer and designer who worked on huge classic titles likeDoom,Quake, andWolfenstein 3Dannounced a new FPS last month, entitledBlackroom. The game was set to harken back to the speed and violence of FPS classics, and the developers were looking to Kickstarter support to get the project off the ground. However, Romero and fellow developer Adrian Carmack have now stopped the game’s Kickstarter funding to produce a demo to entice gamers and potential funders.
In a comment on theirKickstarterpage, the Night Work Game development team admits that starting the campaign prior to producing a demo was a mistake, which they’re now seeking to amend.Blackroomwasn’t entirely without material to show off how the game was going to work, but the method with which they demonstrated the game’s potential was a bit unusual. Romero released a brandnew map for the originalDoomin an effort to showcase what he and his co-developer wantedBlackroomto be. Despite the lack of a demo, the promise of a new FPS under the helm of two formerDoomteam members must have enticed gamers, because their Kickstarter campaign managed to raise $131,052 of the $700,000 goal they were hoping for in a matter of days.
The developers have stated that they believe they’ll be able to pull together a demo highlightingBlackroom’s unique gameplay in a few months' time, at which point the Kickstarter campaign will be restarted. Gamers who have already contributed are invited tocontribute on Kickstarteragain once the campaign is live, and the developers have hinted at a bonus for those who choose to continue their support of the title.
Blackroomprobably could have raised the funds that it needed without creating a demo, but it’s a good thing that Night Work Games took this route. Gamers have been burned far too many times withKickstarter campaigns not delivering, or delaying the final project far beyond the expected delivery date. Romero and Carmack are established developers with a long history of epic games under their belts, but it’s still a good idea to present some tangible concept of what the final project will be like before asking for funding.
On the plus side, Night Work Games is taking the reasonable route to not only improve their funding, but provide proof that the project will actually be fulfilled. Providing that their demo is good, chances are taking this step will drastically increase the speed with which they’re able to raise funds for the finished product.
As a downside, it’s possible that taking a few months to develop a demo could potentially cause a delay from the original 2018 release window.
Gamers, what do you think aboutBlackroom’s developers backpedaling on their Kickstarter campaign? Let us know in the comments.
